• Spies are well-trained individuals who usually have a broad range of knowledge at their fingertips. If you're thinking of becoming the next James Bond, Nancy Drew, or Michael Western, give up, they were all designed as glamorous fictional characters. If, however, you are considering surveillance to a purpose, covert or otherwise, or are thinking of joining an intelligence agency, read on.

    STEPS

    1. Assess the situation you will be placing yourself into: if you are spying with an organization, they will likely do some preparation for you, but you should consider whether the organization is entirely trustworthy or not. Virtually no organizations that operate spies, big or small, are trustworthy from the point of view of a spy. In your assessment, you should consider the following ideas:
    2. Learn to read lips if the subject is far away. If you do this you might want to have a pair of binoculars handy. (you can do this by watching a DVD on mute with the subtitles on to get used to the mouth shapes. Then turn the subtitles off and see if you can interpret what the characters are saying)
    3. Know the people your spying on.
    4. Learn to read and write in multiple languages and styles of communication; learn to understand body language. - This is the most central characteristic of a spy or a diplomat, typically these are the same thing.
    5. Get the hardware and software of the pros. Spy and Surveillance gadgets can be essential to the job.
    6. Blend in. If you want to spy, you should blend in with crowds and communities. Seem like you belong. If you're spying on a location, have a good reason to be there. Wear common clothing for the location, which is not easily identifiable. consider the behaviour of others around you: you want to be purposeful where they are, not where they're not. Avoid attracting attention. Being a legitimate employee can significantly help, for example.
    7. Gather intelligence; it's good to have satellite maps of the area. Take the weeks before your official "mission" to casually scout the area, learn the common routes, and get people used to seeing you. (This is where your good reason to be around comes in handy, and this will help you blend in further.)
    8. Learn the habits of anyone you're spying upon. Don't be nervous or react if they see you. Don't let them notice that you are looking at them or following them.
    9. Alter your daily routine each day as so any person following you cannot pick it up.
    10. It's good to have more than one spy to observe the area and watch your back. Teamwork is crucial to all spies.
    11. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Learn to think on your feet and be resourceful (preferably whilst looking a bit dumb). Try to practice new, useful ways to use items you carry with you, or replace them with other ones that cover a broader range of useful functionality.
    12. Include in your team a team captain, security guard, some one that does the spying and a backup person.
    13. Train yourself and your team.
    14. Always have a bag with essentials packed up around so in case of emergency is ready to take. Include a type of survival kit, all weather clothing, form of communication, for example, a phone,a note pad to write down any info you and your team find and a source of entertainment - maybe some cards.

    TIPS

    * Wear cool, plain-colored clothing. Don't stand out!
    * Learn to sketch quickly; it will help draw certain areas you may need to revisit.
    * Develop codes that only you and your team can understand.
    * Don't expect to know what your work is going towards, spies are almost always pawns in a political game.
    * Often real spies don't choose their career. A spy is an agent employed by a state to obtain secret information, especially of a military nature, concerning its potential or actual enemies. A spy can also be a person employed by a company to obtain confidential information about its competitors.
    * If you get caught,learn to run fast, fight, and make excuses (perhaps lie) to get yourself out of trouble.
    * Learn to fight and flee stealthily in case you find yourself in a confrontation with the enemy.
    * Learn the language, lingo and industry spy jargon.
    * The head quarters either have to be in an isolated area or under extreme cover. Try to include a private office briefing room and computer room.
    * In a nutshell: "Improvise, Modify, Adapt, Overcome" ... and never ever, ever get caught.
    * Try not to stand out.

    WARNINGS

    * Remember: you may face moderate to severe legal repercussions from partaking in most forms of spying. Please be careful.
    * ALWAYS OBEY THE LAW. Going to jail, with the defense "I was trying to help" very rarely earns you respect.

    NEEDED ITEMS

    * Consider what you will need for your task, and that the majority of such things are likely to be amateur equipment. The most important thing for a good spy is their training, not how many gadgets they are loaded down with.
    * A good camera
    * Spy gear and gadgets
    * Monitoring and surveillance software (Optional, some cameras take videos)
    * Notebook for sketching and writing things down
    * Pencils and pens
    * Sunglasses (unless spying at night)
    * Research databases
    * A good hiding place like an underground basement.
    * A hidden camera.
    * Stealth